Review of Ross on Wye’s Traditional Farmhouse Medium Dry Lightly Carbonated Cider.  I may have tried this awhile back (if so, it was pre-blog).  I’m a fan of English cider though.

Cider:  Traditional Farmhouse Medium Dry Lightly Carbonated Cider
Cidery:  Ross On Wye
Cidery Location:  Peterstow, Herefordshire, England
ABV:  6.8%
How Supplied:  500ml bottles
Style:  commercial English cider

Availability:  semi wide release (imported by Shelton Brothers)

Cider Description:  Ross-on-Wye Medium Dry Cider is produced only with apple juice and natural sugar. Our Cider is a whole juice produce fermented with natural yeasts.

Apple Varieties: bittersweets and bittersharps

Cidery Description:  Cider has been made at Broome Farm by the Johnson family for over 80 years.  There are now over 80 varieties of cider apples growing on the farm enabling the creation of individual blends of quality cider.

Price:  $8
Where Bought:  Schilling CIder House in Seattle WA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing.  I couldn’t remember if I’ve ever tried it, and thought I’d give it a go, as I’ve been wanting more English (and French) cider.

First Impression:  Medium amber hue.  Low carbonation and foam.  Smells of rich bittersweet apples, tannins, and caramel.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Medium bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low to moderate tannins and bitterness.  Hints of to low funk.  No sourness.  Notes of caramel, brown sugar, leather, oak, and orange.  Moderate apple flavor, sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity.

My Opinion:  I enjoyed it.  However, its not one of my favorite English ciders.  It tasted a bit more commercial than some English ciders which I prefer (such as Aspall and Sheppy’s).

Most Similar to:  Other English ciders.  It has a fairly traditional taste, and would be a fairly good introductory English cider, as its not too high in tannins, has some residual sugar, and isn’t too funky.  My current favorite English ciders are Aspall Imperial (black label) and Sheppy’s Oak Matured.

Closing Notes:   English ciders remain one of my favorite categories; I love the richness and tannins, so different than most American ciders.  Imported ciders can be surprisingly affordable as in Europe, cider apples are in larger abundance and cider is produced in larger quantities.

Have you tried Ross on Wye or other English ciders?  What did you think?